APRIL 17-23, 2023 APRIL 17-23, 2023 · VOL. 43, NO. 39 YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY SINCE 1980 $2.50 · SBJ.NET Do Tell by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net Some workers may be reticent when it comes to discussing their compensation. Pay feels like a private matter – one, like decisions made within a voting booth, that no polite person would ask about. For nearly 90 years, under the National Labor Relations Act, workers throughout the United States have been permitted to discuss their pay; by law, most private employers cannot restrict open discussion of compensation, and they may not punish people who reveal details about what they make. In 2014, President Barack Obama drew attention to the act when he signed an executive order applying the law to federal contractors. The order expressly prohibited retaliation against employees who talk about compensation. It’s a right some workers don’t realize they already had, according to Karen Shannon, vice president of business consulting with See TELL on page 38 See SNOWBALLING on page 42 CONSTRUCTION IN THE OZARKS Summer project report edition inside COMMUNITY AID Least of These volunteers prepare shopping carts filled with products for clients on a recent distribution day. ‘It’s Snowballing’ Record demand for help at area food pantries collides with historic inflation and rising food costs HEATHER MOSLEY by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net Challenges that were heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic continue to persist for area nonprofits providing food distribution, leading to record-high numbers of clients seeking services over the past two years, officials say. Inflation is up roughly 6% from this time last year and about three times the prepandemic average, while food prices were 9.5% higher in February 2023 from a year prior, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Along with higher bills for necessities such as housing and utilities, these factors are contributing to the increased service demand, said Ozarks Food Harvest Inc. President and CEO Bart Brown. The nonprofit based in Springfield has a 28-county service area and is the lone food bank in southwest Missouri. It serves 270 hunger-relief organizations in its network, and its annual meal distribution to those agencies regularly exceeds 20 million, according to Even with 90-year-old law, some employers are confused about pay transparency Karen Shannon: Pay transparency can help businesses avoid discriminatory practices.
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APRIL 17-23, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 3 NEWS CONTENTS Open for Business A fast-casual Mexican restaurant franchise makes its Queen City debut. page 4 Business Spotlight Humble Abode Properties grows its portfolio by a third with the purchase of an Ozark senior living community. page 6 City Beat Departing Springfield City Council members reflect on time in office. page 8 Opinion Page Executive Editor Christine Temple shares some tips on managing burnout for leaders and their teams. page 41 by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net Historic inflation has thinned the margins for most businesses, and this is particularly true for restaurants. According to summer 2022 data from the National Restaurant Association, a typical restaurant has a pretax profit margin of about 5%, and 85% of operators said their restaurant was less profitable at the time of the survey than it was before the pandemic. These are pain points Springfield restaurateur Steve Williams feels, too, and ones he thinks he could contend with ordinarily. But for Williams, owner of Crosstown Barbecue Inc. at 1331 E. Division St., there is another complicating factor: construction. The city’s $4.6 million Division Street Reconstruction project began in July 2022 and was projected to last a year. Traffic was reduced to a single eastbound lane with a hip-high concrete median separating the driving lane from the work in progress. There is a break in the median to allow traffic to turn from Division Street onto Rogers Avenue, where customers can enter the Crosstown Barbecue parking lot or pull up to its drive-thru window. Traveling the speed limit, the opening is easy to miss. Williams said his revenue for the period of July to December 2022 was pretty much cut in half by the roadwork. “You gotta, like, want to come here,” he said. “It ain’t gonna be like, oh, man, I smelled the smoke. Then if you really want to come here, you’re still like, man, they got a construction zone.” Williams said his business pulls in $300,000-$350,000 in a typical year, but he hasn’t had one of those since before the pandemic. He added that because he was impacted by roadwork, the city offered him a $50,000 loan to help with the shortfall, and he appreciated it. Even so, he said he doesn’t like having to go into debt just to stay in business. Crosstown’s website states Steve’s father, Jesse Williams, opened Crosstown Barbecue in 1970 and commuted from Kansas City to run it, sleeping on a rollaway bed in its storage room during the week. Steve enrolled in then-Drury College in 1980 and began helping his father out before taking over the business upon his graduation in 1984, when Steve was 20 years old. To Williams, taking on debt feels inconsistent with the legacy of his family’s dedicated work, but customers aren’t finding him. Williams said he has heard some people think he’s closed down, but he comes every Monday through Friday and smokes meat over green hickory wood in an open pit. He said he’s thankful for his regulars. “I’ve got one guy comes in here every Tuesday night with his family – he says, ‘We’ll be here every Tuesday, as long as you’re out here’,” Williams said. Sooner or later … The Division Street Reconstruction project is a complete rebuild of the roadway, including new pavement, curb and gutter and stormwater drainage improvements. There will be new sidewalks on the north side, and a multiuse path is already completed on the south side. Gas and water utility renewals are included in the project, according to the city’s web page about the project. Brett Foster is traffic engineer for Springfield’s Department of Public Works. “Every situation’s a little different,” he said. “It’s never if your business is going to be impacted by construction; it’s when. They’re all tied into gas, water, electric, roads.” Foster said city staff always try to communicate with business owners, even as early as the predesign phase. Sometimes they learn a business needs a certain point of access, or there is some other important information that can change the parameters of the project. “We try to accommodate, if at all possible, to keep the business functioning,” he said. Sometimes construction can be moved to night or weekends when a business is closed. Projects are occasionally timed to accommodate trash pickup or other services. “We don’t just go in willy-nilly,” he said. “We try to minimize the impact as much as we can.” The city is currently also at work on the $1.8 million Jefferson Avenue Streetscape project, which is providing sidewalk and roadway improvements, stormwater infrastructure and lighting between St. Louis and Walnut streets. Estimated as a 90-day project, the work began March 13. Foster said the project was complicated by a break in a century-old See WORK on page 45 Steve Williams: The city offered a $50,000 loan to offset loss of income. REBECCA GREEN Steve Williams, owner of Crosstown Barbecue, says street work has been a fact of life in front of his Division Street restaurant since July 2022. Construction companies share details on 18 local projects totaling a more than $134 million investment. page 9 Construction Crosstown Barbecue owner says ongoing street improvements have cut his revenue in half Roadwork Ahead
APRIL 17-23, 2023 4 · SBJ.NET NEWS By Mike Cullinan, Reporter New business, new location, new owner? Send your info to newbusiness@sbj.net Go Burrito North Carolina-based Go Burrito, a fast-casual Mexican restaurant franchise, opened in Springfield, its first location in the state, on March 23. The local franchise of Go Burrito, which launched a decade ago in Salisbury, North Carolina, is owned by Lucas Forschler. Organized as 417 Burrito LLC, according to Missouri secretary of state records, he operates the eatery at 2100 W. Republic Road, Ste. 124, in Magers Crossing. Forschler has worked 13 years for Apple Inc., where he currently is a cloud engineer, according to his LinkedIn profile. He said startup costs were $750,000, which includes a $30,000 franchise fee, adding he signed a five-year lease for an undisclosed rate with Magers Management Co. General Manager Kobe Stewart leads a staff of 16 at the 3,200-squarefoot shop, Forschler said. The eatery’s menu features burritos, quesadillas, tacos, nachos and salads. Prices range $3-$11. The Springfield store is the company’s fourth, with other locations in North Carolina and Tennessee. ☎ 417-771-5468 GoBurrito.com/Springfield Family-owned Collegiate Awards roughly doubled its space with a Jan. 1 move to 2452 N. Mayfair Ave. Erin Boster, who co-owns Collegiate Awards with brothers Brad and Craig Stout, said the company wanted a larger facility to accommodate production needs and expand its workforce. She declined to disclose relocation costs or lease terms for the 12,000-square-foot building with Diversity Commercial Investments LLC, which she said also served as landlord of its former home at 1801 E. Trafficway St. Founded in 2005, Collegiate Awards produces awards, trophies, plaques, signage, printing, gifts and engraving. Boster said the business employs 18 in Springfield and five in a St. Louis facility after it purchased All-Star Trophy in 2020 from owner Skip Berkmeyer for undisclosed financial terms. She said the company has hired seven part-time employees and one full-time worker at its Springfield shop since the move with plans to add more. With a dozen years of industry experience under his belt, architect Layne Hunton launched Throughline Architecture LLC on March 1. Hunton, who served as chief operations officer of Vecino Design LLC, a division of Springfield-based The Vecino Group LLC, exited the real estate development company after four years to start his home-based firm. He said startup costs were $15,000. While currently the venture’s sole employee, Hunton said he plans to add staff later this year. The full-service architectural firm’s scope of work includes residential and commercial projects, he said, noting an emphasis to partner with developers on multifamily and affordable housing work through the federal government’s low-income housing tax credit program. Before The Vecino Group, Hunton, a 2012 graduate of Drury University with a bachelor’s in architecture, was employed at BRP Architects and Torgerson Design Partners LLC. Collegiate Awards Throughline Architecture ☎ 417-873-9280 CollegiateAwards.com ☎ 417-224-4701 layne@throughlinearch.com OPEN FOR BUSINESS Kobe Stewart Our team of integrated, multidisciplinary professionals work hand-in-hand across specialties, ensuring seamless communication, high-quality installation, and performance results. All Under One Roof apcsolar.com | 888-272-9875 Trusted by CPA firms and numerous local entrepreneurs. KATELYN EGGER
APRIL 17-23, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 5 Send your company’s new hires, promotions, awards and achievements to newsmakers@sbj.net or click “Talk to SBJ” on our homepage. Please include job titles and relevant career and educational experiences. We’ll publish high-resolution color photos attached as space permits. LET US KNOW by Eric Olson · eolson@sbj.net Accounting KPM CPAs & Advisors was named to Accounting Today’s listing of the top firms operating in the Midwest for the ninth consecutive year. The list identifies 25 firms from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, among the 10 regions ranked in the U.S. Banking & Finance Great Southern Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq: GSBC) hired Rob Fulp as regional managing director of commercial lending for the Springfield, southwest Missouri and Arkansas markets. Two years ago, Fulp retired from the industry after a 40-year career. He previously served as an executive in residence at Missouri State University. Heritage Bank of the Ozarks added four employees: Haddi Dampier as an information technology specialist; Gabe Skoufos as an assistant vice president and mortgage banker; and Jamie Johansen and Joanna Wilkinson as marketing officers. Dampier previously worked as a field examiner for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Skoufos has experience as a residential lender specializing in Veterans Affairs loans. Johansen and Wilkinson previously operated Honey Creek Media and handled the marketing contract for the bank. Education Missouri State University received a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education in nonmedical fields of science and engineering. The grant funds MSU’s launch of the Computer Science Research Opportunity for Smart Environments program, dubbed ROSE. In the three-year program, computer science faculty will offer a summer research experience for 10 middle and high school educators each year. Energy Scrivener Oil Co. Inc. promoted Jami Jordan to president from the vice president position. She holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from MSU and has management experience at Parkway Properties in South Carolina and at Ticketmaster in Dallas. Health Care Citizens Memorial Hospital added Julia Magdici, a certified family nurse practitioner, to its endocrinology center medical staff. A registered nurse since 2014, she has four years of experience as a nurse practitioner in endocrinology. With a bachelor’s in nursing from Wayne State University in Detroit and a master’s in nursing from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Magdici is certified by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Citizens Memorial Health Care Foundation received a $3,875 donation from the Humansville High School Student Council for patients at CMH’s Carrie J. Babb Cancer Center. The funds, raised at a school basketball game, cover barriers for treatment, including dental care, fuel, groceries, nutritional supplements and meals. Innovation Fortune magazine named Mercy, O’Reilly Automotive Inc. (Nasdaq: ORLY) and Bass Pro Shops to its 2023 list of America’s Most Innovative Companies. Compiled with Statista Inc., the ranking is based on innovations in three categories: products, processes and culture. Out of 300 companies listed, Mercy ranked No. 189, O’Reilly Automotive was No. 229 and Bass Pro Shops was No. 277. Sports Drury University hired Kaci Bailey as head women’s basketball coach, succeeding three-year leader Amy Eagan, who took the head coaching job at Lindenwood University. Bailey since 2021 has served as head women’s basketball coach of Quincy University in Illinois. She’s reuniting with Drury Athletics Director Nyla Milleson after their careers crossed paths at George Mason University in Virginia. NEWSMAKERS Send announcements to newsmakers@sbj.net Dampier Wilkinson Johansen Skoufos Magdici Jordan Bailey Fulp www.groomsinc.com 417.447.4400 | CarnahanEvans.com The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements. A Full Service Business and Estate Planning Law Firm • Corporate & General Business • Tax & Estate Planning • Real Estate • Labor & Employment • Banking • Litigation & Dispute Resolution • Employee Benefits • Construction • Cooperative & Utility • Marijuana & Hemp
APRIL 17-23, 2023 6 · SBJ.NET A Homegrown Strategy Humble Abode Properties expands portfolio by a third after buying senior living community BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT by Eric Olson · eolson@sbj.net Isaac Stewart fondly remembers the first home he bought with the intention of renting it out. It was in The Rivers subdivision in Ozark. “I still own it,” he says. That was in September 2014. Eight years and over 150 properties later, he recently acquired a 55-plus community in the same town. Through Stewart’s management company, Humble Abode Properties LLC, he purchased the 47-unit The Villages at James River, bringing the firm’s portfolio to roughly 200 units. Previously, he worked six years in financial planning with Merrill. That initial home purchase changed the trajectory of his career. “It just started by buying one single-family residence and decided it was a good fit for me,” he says. “We tried to scale as quickly as possible without taking on outside capital.” That home led to another, which led to another, and then duplexes came into the mix. Today, the properties are scattered across Ozark, Rogersville and Springfield. The Villages at James River – a $10 million development built in 2019 by Triple S. Properties Inc. and Morelock Builders and Associates Inc. – is not Stewart’s first senior living property. Humble Abode Properties also manages Ingram Mill Villas, a 43-unit 55-plus independent living community in southeast Springfield. The duplexes and single-family homes make up the balance of the company’s portfolio, which Stewart says has been built strictly through acquisitions. Ron Stenger Cos. in 2015 built Ingram Mill Villas, a $5 million project at the time. “We haven’t got into development at this point,” Stewart says, noting the business plan may come to that – “potentially, as it becomes harder to find the volume that we want to acquire.” Business for McShane Heating & Cooling LLC has increased along with the growth curve of Humble Abode Properties. Owner Jack McShane says his company performs repairs and replacement of heating and air conditioning units as needed. “If one of the renters calls in,” McShane says, “they give me the call.” It amounts to three or four calls a week during the peak summer season. The tickets average $80 for a visit to $250 for parts to fix a malfunction, and then he says new units can run $3,500, citing a recent replacement for an outside condenser. McShane and his two-man crew have similar arrangements with a handful of area property managers, such as Pierce Properties and Aaron Properties Inc., while others have maintenance staff for quick fixes and call him for troubleshooting beyond their capabilities. “From what I’ve seen, they stay on top of their stuff,” McShane says of Humble Abode, noting a key factor is that an after-hours answering service routes calls to him for quicker response – and then he can work directly with the renters to schedule a visit. Stewart says the working relationship with McShane has been in place since Humble Abode started. Today, all properties are 100% leased, Stewart says, and the average rental rate is $1,700 per month. The Villages at James River bumped the average as monthly rates in the gated community run $1,900-$2,300. Stewart says there’s a financial advantage to his growth-through-acquisition strategy. “We’ll have cash flow month one after acquisition,” he says. “That’s one reason we’ve chosen acquisitions. It can just increase the velocity on our money. If you’re doing ground-up development, it takes multiple years before you get a return on your investment.” Stewart says he’s not been deterred by higher-interest rate environments. The company’s goal is to add 100 properties to the mix this year. “Even though interest rates are high, if a property will cash flow, we will still acquire it and hope to refinance it in the future,” he says. “We’ll start to look for the next one.” Stewart says his firm’s average monthly rate has increased by double-digit percentage points the past two years based on market demand. The rent component in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ March consumer price index reports that rates are up 8.8% in the past year. He doesn’t see that trend continuing. “Rental rates have stabilized,” Stewart says. With a staff of three, including senior living property manager Carolyn Burnett, the company primarily markets its units through three sites: Zillow.com, Rent.com and APlaceForMom.com. “Most of the rental pool uses just a few websites,” Stewart says. He spends roughly $1,200 a month for paid placements on the sites and found that’s a good return: “It’s well above 50%,” he says of leases that come through those sites. Stewart’s noticed a trend in that, too: “We are seeing a substantial influx from different cities and states – California, Colorado; we had some from Arizona. It’s a pretty affordable area to live. From those other states, Springfield looks pretty good.” • Humble Abode Properties LLC Owner: Isaac Stewart Founded: 2014 Address: 1225 S. Ingram Mill Road Phone: 417-883-5249 Web: RentHap.com Email: isaac@renthap.com Services/Products: Property management of senior living, single-family and duplex residences 2022 revenue: Would not disclose Employees: 3 Humble Abode Properties owner Isaac Stewart and property manager Carolyn Burnett are managing 47 senior living units in the newly acquired The Villages at James River in Ozark. HEATHER MOSLEY
APRIL 17-23, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 7 NEWS Telling Stories by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net With a combined 90 years of work in the radio industry, longtime friends and former co-workers Malcolm Hukriede and Dan O’Day figured they had a memory or two they could impart in a book about their field. That’s not to say that the duo’s first book, “The History of Radio: In Springfield, MO,” is focused on the authors. They each take a chapter of the 266-page book to reminisce, but for the most part they choose to let others do the talking. Almost 50 contributors, including on-air announcers Summer Stevens and Art Hains, as well as behind-the-scenes employees and executives such as Don Louzader and Mark Spinabella, are included in the book, O’Day said. “I was winding down my career in radio in 2017 and I thought, ‘You know, no one has ever written a book about the history of radio in Springfield.’ I just knew there was lots of stories out there,” Hukriede said. Hukriede, whose work in radio started in 1976 after getting hired at KICK 1340 AM, spent most of his career – over 20 years – in sales for the Springfield operation of Madison, Wisconsin-based radio and marketing network Mid-West Family of Cos. It was with Mid-West Family where he and O’Day began working together in 1999. The two, who said they’d known each other more as acquaintances since the 1970s, became fast friends once they were co-workers. One revelation O’Day shares in his chapter of the book is his real name is Clyde Williams. When he started work in 1966 at KGBX-FM, it was decided by O’Day and radio program director Jerry Higley, who hired him, that a name change was in order. O’Day said he eventually settled on this “air name” because it made him sound Irish, adding he’s stuck with it for over 50 years. O’Day began his radio career in 1960 at 14 years old via the West Plains High School speech and debate team. From 1963-75, he was an on-air announcer but eventually focused more on sales. Except for his start in West Plains and a four-year period in Omaha, Nebraska, O’Day devoted most of his career to Springfield radio, such as KWTO, which broadcasts on FM and AM stations, and KTTSFM. He retired from Mid-West Family in 2010 and moved in 2017 to North Carolina to be closer to his son and two grandchildren. Finding focus Prior to the move, O’Day said he was approached by Hukriede about the book idea and quickly agreed to participate. Both decided to self-fund the book for an undisclosed amount. “We just tried to figure out what the book would be about,” Hukriede said, See RADIO on page 39 WeAreOwn.com Anderson Engineering is now OWN. Welcome to the dawn of OWNgineering. Dan O’Day: Radio career in Springfield spanned five decades. WRITING RADIO Malcolm Hukriede is an author of “The History of Radio: In Springfield, MO,” a book he co-wrote with longtime friend Dan O’Day. KATELYN EGGER Longtime friends team up to pen book about radio memories in Springfield 93% Monthly reach of radio to U.S. consumers in April 2022 report
APRIL 17-23, 2023 8 · SBJ.NET NEWS WE DO BUSINESS BETTER WE’RE READY WHEN YOU ARE When growing your business is all you can think about, you need a bank that can help you do it efficiently and effectively. And when you partner with Central Bank, we become an extension of your business, setting you up with loans and lines of credit, creating customized solutions and providing the comprehensive expertise you need to get where you want. Because that’s how we do business better. Are you ready for the next chapter in your business? Consult your business banking team today to discover how we do business better. Member FDIC centralbank.net Out of the Park by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net Two days after this month’s election decided the mayor and three council seats, members of Springfield City Council took in a ballgame at Hammons Field. Three of the members, Andrew Lear, Richard Ollis and Mike Schilling, were in a position to relax and enjoy the festive opening day action, despite the Springfield Cardinals’ 4-1 loss to the Wichita Wind Surge. The trio had been mere observers on April 4 as election results came in; they had opted not to run for reelection, following service in the challenging pandemic years. Mayor Ken McClure may have been feeling celebratory, having won his reelection bid in a close race against challenger Melanie Bach. It must have felt like a valedictory moment, as the departing council members were seated in a facility that all three had deemed one of the genuine wins of their time in office. Lear said that from his perspective, having the ballpark lie dormant on the north step of downtown would have been of disastrous consequence and was not an option. “It was a nice way to have something tangible to end on,” he said. Schilling also expressed satisfaction in the city’s $16 million purchase agreement. “When we first started talking about it, I wasn’t very enthusiastic about the city getting into the baseball stadium business,” he said. As time went on, Schilling said, it became clear no one else was going to step in to save the stadium. “Where are the millionaires? Why aren’t they stepping up?” he asked. “It became clear that if we didn’t and if nobody else did, we would be stuck with a blighted area of town – a baseball park that wasn’t doing anything. It became a civic imperative to take that over and keep it going.” Ollis saw things similarly. “Although the city didn’t aspire to own a baseball stadium, the fact that we were able to save the Cardinals franchise and reinvigorate that stadium complex I think will be good for the community,” he said. Opening night offered one version of quality of life in the city of Springfield, and the departing trio soaked it in. Buy them some peanuts and Cracker Jack; after their final partial meeting April 17, when three council members will be sworn in, Lear, Ollis and Schilling are not coming back. The departing members Schilling, departing Zone 3 representative on City Council, said he has a fairly big yard, and from now on the growing season can keep him busy. “I’ve served eight years and that’s plenty,” he said. Also an eight-year member of the Missouri House of Representatives, Schilling was first elected to council in April 2015 and served on the Public Involvement Committee and the Administrative Committee. The departing General Seat D representative to council, Ollis was first appointed to his seat in May 2017 and then elected to it by voters in 2019. His appointments included the Community Involvement Committee and the Plans and Policies Committee, for which he served as chair. Ollis, who is CEO of insurance agency See COUNCIL on page 46 Departing City Council members reflect on wins, whiffs and future seasons It became a civic imperative to take (Hammons Field) over and keep it going.” —Mike Schilling, Springfield City Council
APRIL 17-23, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 9 Projects continued on pages 11-19 General contractor: Rich Kramer Construction Inc. Architect: R. E. Werner Architect LLC Engineers: Own Inc., civil; Edelman Engineering, structural; and Schober Engineering LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing Size: 9,375 square feet Cost: Would not disclose Estimated completion: June Description: In Strafford’s Southwest Missouri Rail and Business Park, 417 Express Delivery LLC is expanding its facility, bringing the freight business to 25,000 square feet. The project will add a dock door and includes an office for a potential tenant, project officials say. 417 Express was the second building completed at the business park near Interstate 44 and State Highway 125. 417 Express Delivery addition KATELYN EGGER EDITOR’S NOTE In Springfield Business Journal’s spring project report, 18 active construction jobs represent more than $134 million in investments and nearly 640,000 square feet of new construction, additions and renovations. Each of these projects began with an idea. And in this construction phase, that idea moves from dream to reality. Brick by brick, these projects represent growth and progress in the community. —Christine Temple, Executive Editor 808 LILLIAN DRIVE, STRAFFORD CONSTRUCTION 1364 E. BATTLEFIELD ROAD Heritage Flats General contractor: O’Reilly Build LLC Architect: Buf Studio LLC Engineers: Own Inc., civil; Wells & Scaletty LLC, structural; and CJD Engineering LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing Size: 88,145 square feet Cost: $25 million Estimated completion: December Description: This five-story multiuse building will feature 95 apartments and 6,350 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Near the corner of Battlefield Road and Fremont Avenue, the 2.3-acre parcel that previously was the site of Heritage Cafeteria was acquired in March 2021 by Coryell Collaborative Group for redevelopment. Amenities will include a pool, fitness center and rooftop lounge, common spaces for residents and covered parking. Floor plans will range from studios to three-bedroom units. The design features wood and stone elements that might be familiar to those who frequented the cafeteria, the architects note. BYRON KING General contractor: DeWitt & Associates Inc. Architect: Esterly Schneider & Associates Inc. Engineers: Own Inc., civil; JS Smith Consulting Engineers PC, structural; and Smith-Goth Engineers Inc., mechanical, electrical and plumbing Size: 8,250 square feet Cost: $4.1 million Estimated completion: September Description: The Federal Emergency Management Agency-rated facility will provide 911 dispatching workstations, administrative offices, a training area, kitchen, quiet rooms and locker-room facilities. The center owned by the Lawrence County Emergency Services Board will handle calls for all of Lawrence County and dispatch law enforcement, fire and medical services. Lawrence County 911 Emergency Communications Center provided by DEWITT & ASSOCIATES INC. 1533 MISSOURI DRIVE, MOUNT VERNON
10 · SBJ.NET APRIL 17-23, 2023 william textor President, Advanced Concrete Technology Inc. and Vice President, Springfield Contractors Association Board of Directors A CONVERSATION WITH ... The median age of construction workers nationally is 42.4. What are some of the challenges of recruiting the next generation? In some of the more difficult, hard-work trades, you do need a younger workforce because those guys when they’re in their 40s and 50s, they need to be either supervising or managing crews. They need to be doing something that’s not back-breaking hard labor. That’s been a challenge. A large part of that has been the progressive push toward college. I’ve got four daughters that got degrees, so I’m not anti-college. But for some people, there is an innate desire to build something. Channeled right, that becomes a good career. What are you doing to make this a more attractive and accessible career choice? On my goal list for probably the past 10 years I’ve had an apprenticeship program. We run 60 to 80 employees, but whenever you start looking at adding 10 apprentices – you need enough to have a class to make it worthwhile for an instructor – it’s just daunting. A couple years ago, I started meeting with some of the local concrete contractors and a couple of us partnered together. For the first year, it was just us and Donco 3 Construction, and we both put four students each into the program. Last year, we were shooting for 10. We started with eight; we’re finishing the year with seven. It’s better than what I expected. The prospect of starting the second year where we’ve got two classes going at a time is coming up this fall. The Springfield Contractors Association, which you’re on the board of, is trying to reach out to younger people, too, with Build U and partnering on Build My Future, which recently attracted 3,000 high school students to its event. What are the goals of those initiatives and others? With Build My Future, for us that’s more of get your name out there. We’re promoting our apprenticeship program. I do a whole lot of in-school deals, career days. Most of the time it feels like whenever you’re doing that, you’re talking to kids that just really want to get out of class. But this past year we partnered with building trades classes to do the foundation for a house that they’re working on. We sent a supervisor over there and had him work with their students. I find that those kids have already decided that they want to build something; that’s the career that they want. SCA, the Workforce Development Committee, has also worked to acquire funding for apprenticeship programs. We just acquired funding for a pretty large plumbing apprenticeship program. We’re also building a partnership directory that includes a bunch of apprenticeship programs for people that are not even SCA members. The objective, more than anything else, is not a job. It’s to create a career path for young individuals where you could work through retirement and have a successful life. How long have you been in the concrete industry? My dad started Textor Construction in 1984, I believe. I came on with him in 1986 while I was attending (Southwest Missouri State University) to get an accounting degree, so I could get out of construction. It didn’t work. Honestly, working as an accountant and sitting behind a desk in a cubicle in a smoke-filled room, none of that appealed to me. But it seemed easy. I would drive past projects that I had worked on while I was working my way through school doing construction work and (I would think), I built that. I changed my mind and I decided that that’s what I needed to do. Now, that accounting degree comes in pretty handy for me. I’m running two companies. It seems like people in your industry need to work together on talent initiatives. My attitude has always been probably pretty ruthlessly capitalistic. Put them out of business. But we had a truck that had trowel machines on and it rolled over on (Interstate) 44 at like 2 a.m. on the way to a job site. We had a reputation for knowing the guidelines for concrete. A lot of my competitors would call and have questions and I would help them out. I would beat myself up after. That day, though, when we had that wreck, I had six different concrete contractors that are competitors of mine call me up and say, “Hey, I’ve got a trowel machine you can use for a couple weeks.” That honestly saved my business and changed my mind about community mindedness. What are some of your goals for the SCA? I’m pushing for more subcontractor involvement. Probably the majority of them are 12 men and under and the owner is swinging a hammer. It’s hard for them to be involved in an organization that meets during the daytime. I’ll exchange emails with them about what’s going on and try to keep them updated to help protect our interests. The SCA works hard reviewing codes, making sure we don’t have codes that are prohibitive to building in the city of Springfield. Some of the more recent building codes are costly. If Springfield adopts some of these codes and surrounding areas don’t, it’s going to increase the growth around the area but not in Springfield. Our objective is to keep Springfield toward pro-growth. Excerpts from an interview by Executive Editor Christine Temple, ctemple@sbj.net FOCUS CONSTRUCTION REBECCA GREEN
SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 11 APRIL 17-23, 2023 FOCUS CONSTRUCTION childadvocacycenter.org Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor for April’s Paint the Town Blue: The Ferguson Family & Heart of America Beverage Company. NEED HELP? Missouri Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline: 800.392-3738 April is Child Abuse Prevention Month Mark your calendar for the following dates below: April 1-30 Child Abuse Prevention Month April 11 Stewards of Children Training Session April 12 Co ee for a Cause: #GoBlue4Kids Kick-O Event at the Art Museum April 25 CAC Evening Open House Learn how you can become a partner in prevention. Visit our website or contact Bonnie at bjansen@childadvocacycenter.org General contractor: Westport Construction Co. (Clinton) Architect: Sapp Design Associates Architects Inc. Engineers: Toth and Associates Inc., civil and structural; True Engineering Group LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing; and Terracon Consultants Inc., geotechnical Size: 5,073 square feet, new; 23,332 square feet, renovation Cost: $1.6 million Estimated completion: October Description: This project includes replacing the roof, installing new windows and an interior remodeling of the school buildings. Project officials say a new connector to the high school building will be constructed, including the addition of a secure vestibule. Additionally, a Federal Emergency Management Agency-rated tornado safe room will be constructed to be used as a multipurpose room, fieldhouse lobby and a future administrative suite. Site improvements will include new drop-off/pick-up lanes, sidewalks and parking. Walnut Grove multipurpose room and FEMA safe room provided by TOTH AND ASSOCIATES INC. 300 E. COLLEGE ST., WALNUT GROVE General contractor: KCI Construction Co. Architects: H Design Group LLC, project; BSA LifeStructures Inc. (Overland Park, Kansas), consultant; and frankZdesign LLC, landscape Engineers: CJW Transportation Consultants LLC, civil; Bob D. Campbell and Co. (Kansas City), structural; Imeg Corp. (Kansas City), mechanical, electrical and plumbing; and Palmerton & Parrish Inc., geotechnical Size: 30,000 square feet Cost: Would not disclose Estimated completion: April Description: The two-story clinic with a basement is being constructed with structural steel. The site includes an underground detention basin to maximize usable space in the tight 2-acre parcel. Interior spaces include workspaces for CoxHealth employees and clinical services, including primary care, radiology and labs, as well as urgent care, according to health system officials. Exterior features include CoxHealth’s signature canopy design at the entrance, aluminum curtain walls and ribbon windows. CoxHealth Advantage Care BYRON KING 1819 S. NATIONAL AVE.
12 · SBJ.NET APRIL 17-23, 2023 FOCUS CONSTRUCTION Architecture Master Planning Feasibility Studies Space Inventory Life-Safety Planning WWW.ESTERLYSCHNEIDER.COM Lawrence County Emergency Services - 911 Facility Springfield Fire Department - Station #7 The Judith Enyeart Reynolds School of the Performing Arts renovation General contractor: MoDoCo Inc. Architect: Esterly Schneider & Associates Inc. Engineers: Mettemeyer Engineering LLC, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing Size: 8,000 square feet Cost: $1.74 million Estimated completion: June Description: This project brings the Springfield Little Theatre’s education department facility up to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to project officials. A new elevator with three doors making six stops is being installed, reaching the basement to the third floor, as well as the multipurpose gymnasium and a school entrance. The facility houses two fifth grade classes through a Springfield Public Schools choice program. The project also is renovating the top floor of the former elementary school to house administrative offices. Site improvements include updated retaining walls along the perimeter of the property. 237 S. FLORENCE AVE. HEATHER MOSLEY MORE PHOTOS AT SBJ.NET
SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 13 APRIL 17-23, 2023 FOCUS CONSTRUCTION provided by MORELOCK BUILDERS & ASSOCIATES INC. onemidwest.com Experience better banking for your business with a Midwest Premier Commercial Checking Account and earn up to 2.02% APY* on balances of $50,000 or more. MIDWEST PREMIER COMMERCIAL CHECKING APY *APY = Annual Percentage Yield. APY accurate as of 1/1/23 and may change at any time. $50.00 minimum to open account. Balances of $50,000.000 or more receive 2.02% APY. Receive 0.25% APY if account balance falls below $50,000.00 at any time during the statement cycle. For accounts opened in the Springfield, MO market only. 2540 East Sunshine St. / 417-350-1311 Construction manager: DeWitt & Associates Inc. Architects: Dake Wells Architecture Inc., project, and SWT Design Inc., landscape Engineers: Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc., civil; J&M Engineering LLC, structural; and True Engineering Group LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing Size: 80,000 square feet Cost: $36 million Estimated completion: August 2024 Description: The career center for the Reeds Spring School District will feature classrooms, labs and workshops, offering programs in health care, emergency medical technician, computer technology, automotive and collision, welding, construction, marine repair, culinary arts, education and engineering. The new facility will nearly double the size of the existing Gibson Technical Center. The project is funded by a voter-approved $40 million bond issue approved in April 2022, according to school officials. Table Rock Career Center provided by DEWITT & ASSOCIATES INC. 20281 MISSOURI 413, REEDS SPRING General contractor: Morelock Builders & Associates Inc. Architect: Marshall-Waters-Woody and Associates Inc. Engineers: Toth and Associates Inc., civil; JS Smith Consulting Engineers PC, structural; and CJD Engineering LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing Size: 10,500 square feet Cost: Would not disclose Estimated completion: June Description: A shell building is under construction that officials say can accommodate up to six units and is awaiting tenant infill. The complex is near The Lodges at Logan Estates townhomes development and Logan Heights Apartments. Logan Estates Retail 911 W. CENTER ST., ROGERSVILLE
14 · SBJ.NET APRIL 17-23, 2023 FOCUS CONSTRUCTION BYRON KING General contractor: O’Reilly Build LLC Architect: Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective Engineers: Own Inc., civil; J&M Engineering LLC, structural; and Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective, mechanical, electrical and plumbing Size: 51,964 square feet Cost: Would not disclose Estimated completion: December Description: A downtown Springfield building completed in 1930 is being renovated into a boutique hotel. Design officials say the structure features ornamental stonework on the exterior, and the interior has remaining travertine tiled walls and limestone flooring. The plan includes a rooftop terrace for dining and a basement bar and event space known as Subterranean. Part of the Marriott International Inc. brand, the hotel will have 94 rooms across the eight-story building, according to past reporting. Moxy Hotel 430 SOUTH AVE. General contractor: Q & Co. LLC Architect: Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective, project and landscape Engineers: Olsson Inc., civil; Miller Engineering PC, structural; Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective, mechanical, electrical and plumbing; and Own Inc., geotechnical Size: 200,000 square feet Cost: $37 million Estimated completion: Summer Description: Convoy of Hope’s new offices will provide a home base for the nonprofit’s worldwide relief efforts and include expanded training and communication resources, officials say. The expansion is located adjacent to the distribution center, and the buildings will be attached through a skywalk. The building’s post-tensioned cast-inplace concrete and steel frame structure includes decorative metal wall panels and aluminum and glass features. The space will initially house Convoy of Hope’s 250 employees under one roof with room to expand to 500, project officials say. An in-house auditorium will seat up to 700 people for training seminars, and it’ll also be equipped with audiovisual editing suites for marketing production. 1 CONVOY DRIVE, REPUBLIC Convoy of Hope headquarters and training center provided by Q & CO. LLC MORE PHOTOS AT SBJ.NET
SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 15 APRIL 17-23, 2023 FOCUS CONSTRUCTION General contractor: Morelock Builders & Associates Inc. Architect: Marshall-Waters-Woody and Associates Inc. Engineers: Toth and Associates Inc., civil; JS Smith Consulting Engineers PC, structural; and CJD Engineering, LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing Size: 8,125 square feet Cost: Would not disclose Estimated completion: August Description: The shopping plaza is designed with five tenant spaces, each measuring 1,625 square feet, for general retail, restaurants and service-related businesses, project officials say. The center will include 45 parking spots. The Walker Heights apartment complex, a set of three buildings with 95 apartment units, is going in at the same intersection. Walker Heights Retail Center KATELYN EGGER General contractor: Rich Kramer Construction Inc. Architect: R. E. Werner Architect LLC Engineer: Smith-Goth Engineers Inc., mechanical, electrical and plumbing Size: 14,300 square feet Cost: $2.9 million Estimated completion: September Description: Merieux NutriSciences is constructing an 8,200-square-foot addition and renovating 6,100 square feet at its Springfield laboratory. The project includes the addition of two safe rooms and three walk-in coolers and freezers. The company has more than 100 laboratories worldwide, according to the company website, and the local location focuses on microbiology and chemistry for the food industry. Merieux NutriSciences addition and renovation KATELYN EGGER Springfield | Joplin | St. Louis paragonarchitecture.com | 417.885.0002 We’re ready to bring your architectural and interior design projects to life. Our team has the tools and tenacity to be your “Sherpa,” guiding you every step of the way as we navigate your project from concept, design, construction, and beyond. Through innovative thinking and focused expertise, we’ll strive to deliver quality designs that enhance your brand objectives — now and in the future. That’s the Paragon Approach™. EXPERIENCE THE PARAGON APPROACH™ 163 E. TRACKER ROAD, NIXA 2835 N. OAK GROVE AVE.
16 · SBJ.NET APRIL 17-23, 2023 FOCUS CONSTRUCTION Springfield Public Schools Academy of Exploration General contractor: Nesbitt Construction Inc. Architect: BRP Architects Engineers: Own Inc., civil; J&M Engineering LLC, structural; and CJD Engineering LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing Size: 13,600 square feet Cost: $2.1 million Estimated completion: August Description: The Springfield Public Schools’ project will renovate the Hillcrest annex building, the former Fairview Elementary School, into the new home of the district’s Academy of Exploration. The academy offers choice programs centered on STEM education, school officials say. The original building was constructed in 1944 with additions in 1968 and 2000. BYRON KING KATELYN EGGER General contractor: DeWitt & Associates Inc. Architect: Paragon Architecture LLC Engineers: Olsson Inc., civil; J&M Engineering LLC, structural; and Interpres Building Solutions LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing Size: 12,000 square feet Cost: $4.1 million Estimated completion: July Description: On the Jordan Valley Innovation Center campus, Missouri State University is developing a preengineered building to support a research grant. The facility will include offices, a conference room, training lab and large composite laboratory, according to project officials. This will be the sixth building on the JVIC campus, adding to 75,000 square feet of space for research by faculty, students and private companies. Jordan Valley Innovation Center, Bldg. 6 530 BOONVILLE AVE. 3241 N. GRANT AVE. MORE PHOTOS AT SBJ.NET
SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 17 APRIL 17-23, 2023 FOCUS CONSTRUCTION KATELYN EGGER 3530 W. MOUNT VERNON ST. General contractor: DeWitt & Associates Inc. Architect: Buf Studio LLC Engineers: Olsson Inc., civil; Horner & Shifrin Inc. (St. Louis), structural; and Imeg Corp., mechanical, electrical and plumbing Size: 11,000 square feet Cost: $5.8 million Estimated completion: Fall Description: Mercy Springfield Communities is constructing a multispecialty clinic for primary care, outpatient therapy and occupational medicine. Plans call for 12 exam rooms and five rooms for occupational care. A physical therapy area will have multiple treatment spaces, including outdoors. The building will also have an audio booth for hearing tests, and there will be imaging equipment on the premises. Mercy West Springfield Multispecialty
18 · SBJ.NET APRIL 17-23, 2023 FOCUS CONSTRUCTION Construction manager: DeWitt & Associates Inc. Architect: nForm Architecture LLC Engineers: Mettemeyer Engineering LLC, structural, and True Engineering Group LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing Size: 43,000 square feet Cost: $5.5 million Estimated completion: August Description: A three-story dormitory with capacity for 206 students, Walther Hall sits on the south side of Evangel’s campus. This renovation of the 55-year-old dorm replaces mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment and interior finishes. The work includes an update to first- and second-floor lobbies, community areas, kitchenettes, shower stalls and an HVAC system allowing for individual room temperature control, according to project officials. In addition, the resident hall director’s apartment and exterior finishes will be renovated. The project is part of the university’s construction campaign, Here.Now. Evangel University Walther Hall renovation KATELYN EGGER 1111 N. GLENSTONE AVE. arvest.com | (417) 885-7300 Finance and grow a business with digital tools from Arvest Bank. Goodbye nine to five, hello start-up. Goodbye limits. Hello possibilities. Member FDIC Loans subject to credit approval. MORE PHOTOS AT SBJ.NET
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